A vehicle parking apparatus is employed for parking more than one vehicle in vertical relationship in the surface area that approximately corresponds to the area of a standard vehicle parking space. More particularly, a vehicle parking apparatus includes a platform onto which a vehicle is driven. Thereafter, the platform may be raised with the vehicle thereon to a sufficient height such that a second vehicle may be parked thereunder.
Vehicle parking apparatuses of this type are widely used in urban areas of the U.S. where the land available for parking vehicles is extremely limited and where property values and building costs are extremely high. As populations continue to increase in urban areas open space will become less available and vehicle parking problems will become more acute.
To date, the above described vehicle parking apparatus have been widely used in both open vehicle parking lots and enclosed vehicle parking garages. One extremely effective prior art vehicle parking apparatus is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,276 which issued to the applicant herein on Jun. 24, 1980 entitled "VEHICLE PARKING APPARATUS". The vehicle parking apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,276 includes a base having a pair of spaced apart upstanding stanchions extending therefrom. The stanchions are spaced from one another a sufficient distance to enable a vehicle to be driven therebetween. A pair of hydraulic pistons and cylinder assemblies are rigidly mounted respectively to the stanchions to extend upwardly from the top of the stanchions. The pistons are connected to a platform or ramp onto which the vehicle may be driven. The platform is movable along the stanchions under the action of the hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly. Thus, the hydraulically actuated withdrawal of the pistons into the corresponding cylinders will lift the platform with the vehicle thereon a distance equal to the movement of the piston which must be sufficient to enable a second vehicle to be driven between the stanchions and under the platform. As a safety precaution, the stanchions comprise rigid integral supports welded thereto at a location corresponding to the maximum elevation of the platform. The platform then includes a latch for engaging the support on the stanchion when the platform attains its maximum elevation. To ensure that the vehicle on the platform is elevated evenly despite the possibility of uneven weight distribution in the vehicle the apparatus includes stabilizer bar linkages which extend from the base to the platform to stabilize the platform and to provide an even lifting of the vehicle.
Despite the many advantages of the vehicle parking apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,276 the apparatus defined by the stanchions and the large pistons extending up from the stanchions occupies a total height of approximately 11'-4" which exceeds the floor to ceiling height in many parking structures.
Another vehicle parking apparatus which remedies the height problems inherent in U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,276 is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,172 which also issued to the applicant herein on Sep. 20, 1988 entitled "LOW PROFILE VEHICLE PARKING APPARATUS". The parking apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,172 comprises a base and a pair of upstanding stanchions extending rigidly from the base, and a vehicle parking platform which is movable along the stanchions. Articulated stabilizing bar assemblies extend from the parking platform to the base. Each articulated stabilizing bar assembly comprises a rocker arm and a control arm which are articulated to one another. The rocker arm is further articulated to the parking platform, and the control arm is articulated to the base.
The vehicle parking apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,172 further includes a pair of piston and cylinder assemblies pivotally mounted to portions of the articulated stabilizing bar assembly. The connection of the piston and cylinder assembly to the articulated stabilizing bar assembly may be such that the maximum extension of the piston and cylinder assembly substantially corresponds to the alignment of the stabilizing bar assembly in the lowest position of the parking platform. Conversely, the connection of the piston and cylinder assembly with the articulated stabilizing bar assembly may be such that the piston will be fully retracted within the cylinder when the stabilizing bar assembly is in the fully elevated position of the parking platform.
The above described connections enable a relatively small movement of the piston to achieve a relatively great movement of the parking platform. Consequently, the parking apparatus disclosed on U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,172 achieves the extremely desirable attribute of having a very low profile to enable the use of the parking apparatus within indoor parking facilities that previously could not accept such parking devices. More particularly, the maximum height of the prior art vehicle parking apparatus when in use is substantially define by the top of the vehicle on the elevated platform. Thus, the apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,172 with an elevated vehicle thereon may assume a maximum height of between approximately 9.5' and 10'.
Although the low profile vehicle parking apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,172 is extremely desirable for use in most indoor parking facilities, there are certain indoor facilities that may have maximum height restrictions which are less than 9.5'. Hence, in such facilities the vehicle parking apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,172 could not be used because the elevated vehicle on the platform would surpass the maximum allowable height of the facility.
Therefore, it is an object of the subject invention to provide a new and improved vehicle parking apparatus having means for adjusting the height of the vehicle platform with the vehicle thereon such that the apparatus, with an elevated vehicle thereon assumes a height of approximately 8.0' which is approximately equal to the height of the apparatus itself.